Ball inflater and sealer.



A., A. GREEN. BALL INFLATER AND SEALER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3h I914.

Patented May 11, 1915.

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ALLEN AYRAULT GREEN,- Ol? GALES3U3R&, BILLINGIS, ASSIGNUR Oi GEE-HAL TO HAILQLD Ii. HQLLAEIB, F GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

'' BALL INFLATER AND SEALER.

sissfgiss,

spsslfication of Letters kateiis.

Posoiisssl iii, i915.

figpliaation filed. March 31, 191 Serial No. 828,529.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it. known that l, ALLEN ilysiioii'i' GREEN, a citizen of the United Sissies, and resident of Galssburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have illffil'i'ildiz. a new and useful. Boll lnfistsi' soil Scsioi, which the following is a S} 36Ciil8fitl0i i.

The invention i'olaies to devices for inflating and sealing ZLIIQi ths rooy isjuvsnatii g that class of balls usccl iii playing tennis, rackets, hand-ball, sic.

The primary object of the lIW'lE-Iiifill 15 to provide novel means Wi sreoy a ball or other hollow object; not provided with a Volvo may be iniiatedi. This class of balls is, as ii rule, not pi'ovidscl with an air hole or other openin it is therefore necessary is puncture tlis boll before it can inflated.

A further object of the invention is that; the ole-vice include means whereby the poi-m ijurs may be sssieol.

A 'rthsir oiojscl; is metlio oi inflating and renewing or restoring volsss calls soil other hollow objects Whioli his" lost their air consent and tlisroliy i'iosii' icy.

It rm object to ZOYOY'l .o clovics of the naturo slssci'iliscl Wi'ilfil) is of such ohsiactsr proviiz s new i anal shoi'sb i iii-which preferred by ms for csii'ving the invention into efi'sct, This sinus lie shown, primarily oscsuss ii; has lisoii found iii practice to givcsxcsllsnt results; is is to be on (lei-stood, howsvsr, that tho several instrumentalities of which the invention. consis'afis may and. can be variously constructed, or ganized and arranged, and. that ll not contemplate the scope of the invention limited to the particular ssrnct n'o shown and described but consider it as covering all such changes as fairly fall she goo eml ides thereof, considered in its lii'oadsst assess.

.aizl drawings: Figure is an elevation, showing; a pssfsirod form of case especially adapted for the cci tziiiimons of my impTOVQmf-oiE; Fig. 2, s srsi svs 'ss central section of a tennis ball, showing two seals or patches thereon; Fi t 3, an elevation, partly in section, illustrating prsiioi-i'cd embodiinsiit of my invonsioo and further illustrating'its opsi'ation; Fig. 4:, a longitudinal central section of the. airs waive, parily in slovsiioo. Fig. 5, a modified detail of one end. of she discharge means; Fig. 6, s. longitudinal central section of the seal-containing tubeor injector; Fig. 7, a. View similar to 6, lost the parts shown in different relative positions; and Fig. 8, an elevation, re- (lucecl and slightly modified, showing also a common type of air-pinup as attached to the. clcvicoi Coming now to a (ietailecl description of said drawings and designating each part by s. (lisfiinguisoing refeysiice numeral, uniformly employml throughout the several viows, 2 designates an air p lmp, 3, a hose suitably connected therewith, and 3, connecting wires. These may be of any pieferred construction and require no further clssc 'ipigioo lisi'ci'o other iillflfi to state that any suitable source of air or gas supply is compichomlod loy me, for the purpose of my i ivsntion, as the equivalent of tho pump shown.

lssiciisiss oml. 5, a l c the csi iu'ol nism osi of a. case, moo its caps pad over fills ends sncl of 8, 8 al s nuts secured one on each face of ills rlisglirsvm 7, the. apertures in all those. corresponding.

9 inclicsfiass an siovalve, which may be of any oriliiuii-y construction. Tho one shown coinprissss tube 10, chsclsvalvs or valve proper ll, valve-stem 12 having {L hood l3, valve-return spring 1%,and cap 15. Sweat ed or otherwise secured in the apex of the cap 15 is so siopipo 16. The oxtei'iorly an ranged threads on she tube 10 are engaged by those on the nuts 8, whereby the valve 9 is secured in pos'ision in the diaphragm 7.

l7 (lssignafiss a seal-containing tube or in jsotor and comprises a cylindrical casing 18 having at one end an spelt-cored head 19 and s $5 is so zmmilsr sliooldor QY*Ji(EP-g 3 seat ing slightly farther into the puncturing needle than does the end of the nozzle, for a purpose presently described. in this figure I. have shown the needle point, air-tube and nozzle as integral; when so made, the connection with the valve 9 and injector 17 may be made in any suitable manner.

26 designates a thumb-screw which actuates a head 27 in both its forward and return movements.

28 indicates any suitable sealing material, such as rubber cement. The cap 23 may be soldered or otherwise suitably secured to the diaphragm 7, which is provided with an aperture therefor. The diaphragm 6 is provided with an aperture for the passage of the tubes 16 and 2e.

Inasmuch as my invention is primarily designed for use in reviving or rejuvenating tennis balls I have in Figs. 2 and 3 shown a ball of that character, wherein 29 designates the rubber body and 30 the cloth cover. Balls of this character become useless, to perform their intended functions, both by lack of use and by use-that is, if they be left for a few months idle, even new balls lose their resiliency and become unsaleable, and. balls which have been used in play become soft and also lose their life or re bounding qualities. These balls-are relatively expensive, and their cost has heretofore been to many persons so prohibitive that the game has not gained such general popularity nor been "sogenerally played as it would have been had some means and method of restoring their firmness and resiliency been devised. Assume the ball shown in Fig. 3 to have lost its resiliency and to be dead. lhe operator may first puncture in it (with any suitable instrument) a minute opening, or'he may puncture the ball with the needle 25. In either event the open ends of the tubes 16 and 2 1 are .to be introduced into the ball cavity. Hewill then operate the pump 2 to thereby force air through the hose 3, valve 9 and air tube 16 to fill the ball cavity with compressed air, the operation being continued to whatever extent the operator deems best and as may be determined. by manual pressure of the fingers and thumb upon the ball. The pumping operation isthen discontinued, whereupon the check-valve ll-will automatically close and prevent the compressed air from escaping from the ball cavity. The

" screw 26 is then to be operated to force the cement through the nozzle 2e, down which it will run, inasmuch as the dev1ce and ball are held in the positions shown in Fig.

1. As he forces the cement into the ball cavity the operator will slowly rotate the sealing it absolutely and perfectly, for the rubber cement will adhere strongly to the inner structure of the ball. If desired, the operator may hold his finger over the puncture for a moment, but I have seldom found this necessary. having the needle 25 embrace the air and cement tubes is that were the tubes separate they would not together form a cylindrical body which would completely fill the puncture and prevent the escape of air, as does as the needle.

Attention was earlier herein called to the fact that the air-tube projects farther into the ball cavity than does the nozzle. When thus arranged it is impossible for the cement to run. into and clog or stop the air passage and it is also because I; desire the cement to be introduced close, fibthe puncture. Any other arrangement will, however, be productive ofexcelleht results. dent that the air pressure acts quickly on the semi or almost liquid cement to force it onto, over, and into the puncture, as shown best at m and a, Fig. 2, wherein I have illustrated a ball filled and sealed for the second time. As tennis balls are durably made they may be refilled and rescaled until the material from which they are constructed wears completely out. Moreover, I contemplate my inventionas of utility inthe original 1.05 filling, with compressed air,'of all hollow,

resilient objects or bodies.

It will be understood without detailed de-' scription how the caps 5 and 5 are to be removed when it is desired to use the sealer and infiater, and also how the nipple 3 is to be threaded into the valve-tube 10.

In the foregoing specification I have incidentally referred to modifications which might be adopted in the practice of my invention, but have by no means undertaken to specify all that might be employed, the object hereof being to instruct personsin order that they may understand the nature of and to enablethem to carry out the invention in the manner specifically described and in any of the numerous manners which would appear to a skilled mechanic, and I desire'it distinctly understood that the specific mention by me of some modifications is in no manner intended to exclude others not referred to but which are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

thus set forth the preferred com Having The advantages gained by 80 It will be evi- 95 struction, the purposes, some of the advantages, and the operation of the invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following, to-wit:

1. In a device of the character described, an air-tube, a spring-actuated air-inlet valve associated therewith, an air-pump in communication with said valve, a cement nozzle having its outlet adjacent that of the airtube, and a cement-injector for ment through said nozzle.

:2. In a device of the character described, an air-tube, a source of air-supply, a checkvalve intermediate said elements, a cementnozzle having its discharge end adjacent the discharge end of the air tube, and means for forcing cement through said nozzle.

3. In a device of the character described, an air-tube, a source of air supply, a check-, valve and a checkvalve-return-spring intermediate said elements, a cement-nozzle-having its discharge end adjacent the discharge end of the air-tube, and means for forcing cement through said cement-nozzle.

I. In a device of the character described,

. an air-discharge tube, means for-forcing air therethrough, means whereby its return is prevented, and a cement-discharge tube having its discharge end adjacent the outlet of the air-tube.

5. In a device of the character described, an air-discharge tube, means for forcing air therethrough,

forcing cemeans whereby its return is prevented, and a cement-discharge tube having its outlet adjacent that of the air-tube but not extended to as great a distance as is the latter.

6. In a device of the character described, an air-discharge tube, means for forcing air therethrough, means for preventing its re-' turn, acement-nozzle adjacent said air-tube, and screw-propelled means for forcing cement through said nozzle.

7. In a device of the character described, an air-valve, an injector, a diaphragm in which they are mounted, an air-tube leading from said valve, a nozzle leading from said injector, a diaphragm in which said tube and nozzle are mounted, and a casing for retaining said diaphragms in spaced relationship.

8. In a device of the character described, an air-inlet tube, a source of air-supply therefor, a check-valve in communication therewith, a cement nozzle in alinement with the outer end of the air-tube, and means for forcing cement through said nozzle, past said valve andv through said tube.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I hereto subscribe my name, in presence of two witnesses, at the said city of Galesburg, this 25th day of March, 1914.

ALLEN AYRAUL'I GREEN.

Witnesses:

F. O. MCFARLAND, E. P. WILLIAMS. 

